GREEN SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATIONOFMANGANESE OXIDE NANOPARTICLES USINGPunicagranatum LEAF EXTRACT: EVALUATIONOFANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY
The worldwide challenge of drug-resistant pathogens has stimulated considerable interest in developing novel antimicrobial agents. This paper outlines an environmentally benign approach for creating manganese oxidenanoparticles (MnO NPs) by employing an aqueous extract obtained from Punica granatum (pomegranate) leaves. The natural chemical constituents present in the leaf solution perform double duty; they facilitate metal ionreduction and provide stabilisation to the developing particles. The fabricated material was characterised by XRD, UV-visible, and SEM-EDX. XRD data substantiated the material's crystalline arrangement, indicating typical crystallite dimensions of around 60 nm. Spectroscopic measurements revealed a clear absorption maximumat 387nm, yielding a direct band gap value of 3.83 eV. Electron micrographs demonstrated particles possessingnon- uniform shapes with a strong inclination toward aggregation, whereas EDX confirmed the sample's elevated purity, with manganese and oxygen representing the principal components. Bioassay results against Serratiamarcescens showed dose-dependent inhibition, producing a maximum inhibitory zone of 1.0 mmat 20 µg/mLconcentration. The particles displayed no observable effect on Aspergillus flavus growth. These outcomes validatean ecologically sustainable route for manufacturing MnO NPs that exhibit selective antibacterial characteristics.
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